Update from Steve

Here is a great glimpse into their daily life!

We had planned on NOT hiring any house help. After about one week it became pretty clear that we were in need of some help because EVERYTHING we do here takes on a life of its own. For example, shopping... A standard shopping trip to the center of town routinely take 6 hours or more. In "routine" I mean grocery shopping and sundry shopping. Not only must one wade through the open market but you've got to go to several "stores" within the market and then to several more outside of the market. There are no costcos or walmarts.

House cleaning is very time consuming too. Because of the climate and our location most everything in the house becomes dust covered in about 48 hours after being thoroughly cleaned. The floor is concrete so it must be mopped at least every other day and swept 2 or 3 times per day. Bathrooms become messy in no time and there is a constant need to wash clothes and towels. Meal preparation is no different. Janice could literally get up in the morning and begin cooking and never stop. Prepping for meals, cooking, eating, and cleanup takes several hours. This is because of what we must do just to prepare the food for our delicate little stomachs and intestines! Honestly, she could very easily transition from breakfast to lunch to dinner without a break. It's crazy.

You already know about drinking water. The life giving fluid is very important as we all need to drink about 2 or 3 litres per day. There are many water bottles to be filled and cleaned and chilled. And, water filters must be cleaned each week. All this to say that we now have hired 2 people (part time) to do household chores for us. We have a nice young lady (early 20's) who works about 25 or 30 hours per week who cleans our house. We also employ a young man (early 20's) who washes clothes for us 3 days per week. I can tell you that after one week they made quite a difference. It is nice to have a clean home but the stress level reduction is even better. Before, it would've been difficult for Janice and the kids to school (which finally will get under way on Monday) without the help. Now, schooling looks to be quite doable and enjoyable as Janice won't need to split her time schooling and cleaning. And, having our laundry guy is great because he irons everything and folds it nicely before putting it on the table in our dining room. This might sound overkill but it is not. It is a blessing that we can afford this. We pay what amounts to about $1.50 per hour (total, for both). It is strange to live in a place where labor is so inexpsensive but life's basics are not. We also have used, and will continue to use, a fellow who can shop for us. Usually once per week or every other week I text him and he comes by. I give him a list and money and off he goes. In about 6 hours he comes back with just about everything on our list assuming he can find it. The cost for him to do this works in our favor as his rates are reasonable (generally a little over $1 per hour). He's got much experience with doing this sort of thing so he knowns what us westerners like / want even if he doesn't understand the westerner!!!

Both Janice and I have spent time on Injured Reserve here in our first month. I was felled by some unknown bacteria that kept me bed ridden for almost a week. I lost 10 pounds and didn't eat or drink much for over 1 week. Janice, on the other hand, has had 2 bouts with bacteria of dubious origin that has knocked her out for a couple of 2 or 3 day stints. The last one required 2 separate visits to the French Medical Clinic that we belong to. They finally put an I.V. in her and got her back up and running. One nice thing here is that one can get a wide variety of medications at the many local pharmacies and all without a prescription.

Janice has spent quite a bit of time with the neighbor ladies and their children. They have welcomed her with open arms. There is an obvious language barrier but they are all willing to teach her Arabic. I spend as much time as I can talking with our employees. It is a great way to get to know them and work on my French. I do not feel as though I am progressing as well as I should. I still have a very difficult time "hearing" it. I don't generally have any trouble comminucating my wishes as my verbal skill is adequate for most everything I need to do.

Some of the kids have been sick too. All of the sickness is to be expected as we adjust. Speaking of adjusting... we all seem to have adjusted to the heat pretty well. Some of the kids are even sleeping with their comforters at night (which is genearally in the mid to upper 80's in our house).

M. will be here on the 6th and it will be good to see him and talk with him about stuff. We have no complaints (although we certainly do miss the food, and particularly the food choices, from the good ol' US of A) and life is good. We sure miss all of you and think about and pray for you often.
Take care. Pray for us.
sf